Big Trifles and Little People

About the Book

Big Trifles and Little People is a remarkable collection of reminiscences about a fascinating time in Russia—a time of Tsar Nicolas II, head of the great Romanov family, and of the Bolshevik revolution. But it was the view of the author that “little people, trifles and personal memories have the right to be heard, just as the feats of the great.” With that in mind, he unfolds a narrative of joy, terror and ultimately, of his triumph of will over the forces which drove him from the homeland of his noble forefathers.

The description of the fancy dress balls at Elizabethgrad Cavalry College, where he trained to become an officer with the Cossack Cavalry, is lilting and full of color. The surprisingly luxurious life of the Russian officers in the wilds of China is unfolded in wonderful detail. The description of the instant he was shot and crippled for life in the Russo-Japanese war is gripping and unforgettable.

The book focuses on encounters with the “little” people such as Shick, the Jewish scribe; Kaloev, the Muslim tea salesman; Zhao, proprietor of the Fudzian stock market; and Kate, an American prostitute. However, encounters with the “great” people are not ignored. These include personal meetings with the Empress Dowager of China, with Tsar Nicolas II and even with Rasputin.

Big Trifles and Little People provides a rare opportunity to experience the “real” Russia of the early twentieth century as recalled by an astute observer of the times.

About the Author

Born to a Russian noble family in Kostroma in 1882, Anatol M. Kotenev trained for a military career at Elizabethgrad Cavalry College and served as an officer in the Cossack Cavalry. He was wounded in the Russo-Japanese war in 1904 and received the Order of Saint George for his bravery. As Russia fell to the communists, he escaped with his family to China and served with the British Colonial Service in Shanghai. He was a noted lecturer and author of several books on the history and politics of China including Shanghai-Its Mixed Court and Council, Shanghai-Its Municipality and the Chinese, The Chinese Soldier, and New Lamps for Old. In 1951, he died in a Chinese prison, incarcerated by Mao Tse-tung for his political beliefs.